Generation Divide
by SouthernChickie
Summary: The end of the Gathering and the 'one' is revealed. WARNING cannon character death in the chapters to come!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimers: I own every last character in this story I came up with the idea of immortals a long time ago, this is a totally original fic. . . heh heh heh, bet you weren't expecting that. Okay so I'll fess up, not mine, none of it, except for the story itself, that's mine.  
  
Author's Note: I am a member of the clan of denial, just so you know. So Richie never died, and has gone on happily living the life of the eternal bachelor immortal that he is for the past hundred or so years, where the story picks up.  
  
GENERATION DIVIDE  
  
Richie rolled over and turned off his alarm with a groan, nearly squishing the Jack Russell Terrier lying beside him. "Move it, Fritz." He hated Mondays and had for over a hundred years. What exactly has possessed him at the time he accepted his current job, he didn't know. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes.  
  
"Blah. . ." he announced to the darkness for lack of a better word. "Why do I subject myself to this week after week?" he asked the German Shepherd that jumped onto his bed scratching it behind it's ears. The dog smiled and licked his face. Richie laughed, "Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me."  
  
He got out of the comfort of his nice warm bed and rummaged through his dirty clothes finding his least smelly T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. "Maybe I should do the laundry," he mumbled as he got dressed. He sighed and began to search for his sneakers.  
  
"Where'd you put 'em, Hans?" he asked the dog as it crawled under the bed trying to figure out what fun new game Richie had come up with that required being there. Richie wiggled back into the open and looked around the messy room. "Hans! Where are the shoes? Where are they boy? Go find 'em!" The dog happily bounced in front of him, still trying to learn the rules of this new game. "Where are they?" Richie asked again. Hans started spinning in circles trying to smell his own butt. "They better not be there," Richie smiled, no matter how long he had had Hans it never ceased to make him laugh when the dog interrupted whatever he was doing for the simple pleasure of smelling himself. "Ah-ha!" He spotted a shoelace sticking out from under the dresser.  
  
After eating breakfast the three set out on their morning run around the neighborhood lake, with Hans in the lead, Fritz tagging along in the back and Richie in the middle. Richie nearly tripped over his own feet and dog the leashes as he passed a young woman running the opposite direction. 'Ah spring,' he thought happily. 'Season of short shorts and spots bras.' By the time they made it back home it was 6:15. "Always late," he grumbled pulling off his shirt as he went upstairs to take a shower.  
  
Such was his morning routine, no matter how early he got up he was always late when he got home from running. But no matter how late he was getting home he was always on time for work, usually early. This was a habit he picked up from years of working for Duncan. If he was late, which he often was, it resulted in physical labor or an extra long work out. Such was not the case now, but at least he had developed a good habit.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Richie whistled a tune as he strutted down the hall. Something about the building brought out the kid in him. Maybe it was because he had spent so much time there when he was a kid, but for some reason when he was alone in the halls he lapsed into a cocky strut he hadn't used since he had been a student at South Seacouver High.  
  
He unlocked his classroom door and turned on the lights before grabbing a soda from the refrigerator in the corner. The refrigerator was one of the many things in his room that made him the most popular teacher at SSH. Once word got out that he had a constant supply of cold sodas and a microwave for his students his classes had been filled to maximum capacity. Other teachers had complained, but when Richie explained that if he was going to be eating and drinking in class it was only fare to allow the students to as well to the principle, the complaints had been thrown away.  
  
He booted up his computer and settled down to check his e-mail. There were the usual meeting reminders and a few jokes being sent around by the other teachers mixed in with some questions and pleas for extensions on papers from his students, but there were four in particular that caught his eye. He opened the first one, it was from Amanda.  
  
'I assume you've talked to MacLeod, see you Friday.'  
  
The second was from Adam,  
  
'Friday.' Was all it said.  
  
"And what is so important about Friday?" Richie asked the computer opening the next message, which was from Jaesin.  
  
'Richie-  
  
Hi! How ya doin?' Richie smiled, she wrote exactly like she talked. 'Do you know what the big deal is? Dad won't tell me. Which I know is a big surprise, nobody ever tells me anything. Any-who I guess you've heard by now that we're coming up this weekend. . . not that I know why, but we are. But I'm not complaining, I like the cabin.  
  
See ya Friday! Jaes  
  
P.S. Dad found the Eminem chips. Needless to say, I don't have them anymore and he's pissed. He still thinks I'm too young for them. And he thinks you're horrible for giving them to me. Thanks by the way, I really liked them while I had them!'  
  
The last was luckily from Duncan, because contrary to what Amanda thought he hadn't heard from him.  
  
'Richie-  
  
We need to talk, it's important. I just found out something about the Gathering. I've called Amanda and Adam; we're coming to town on Friday. Cancel all your weekend plans.  
  
-Mac  
  
P.S. Eminem? I don't think so.'  
  
Richie glanced at the clock; he had twenty minutes before his students would start showing up to class, which gave him plenty of time. He pushed a few buttons and began to respond to his mail.  
  
'Jaes-  
  
Why would I know what's going on? Nobody ever tells me anything either. They just assume I'll tag along. Sorry about the chips, I'll get you some new ones. . . just hide them better this time. I can't spoil you if you keep getting caught.  
  
Stay out of trouble, Richie'  
  
"And now for Mac."  
  
'Mac-  
  
What no hello? No greeting what so ever? Just 'I'm coming to town and taking over and telling you what to do even though you're a grown man of 132? I know you don't say goodbye, but no hi either?  
  
So what's the big deal that you couldn't just call me or something? Or do you plan on being ambiguous until you feel like sharing?  
  
-Richie' 


	2. Chapter Two

*Friday, 7th period*  
  
"Is," Richie repeated. "Well, you're right, but why?"  
  
His student looked back up at him and thought, "Because the subject is singular?"  
  
"Are you asking me, or telling me?" Richie asked, adding 'Man, I sound like Mac' to himself.  
  
"Um, telling?"  
  
He smiled, "You're right," he turned to address the rest of his class. "Give me more singular subjects."  
  
"Me!" somebody called out.  
  
"Okay, more."  
  
"Dog."  
  
"Sally."  
  
"He."  
  
"Floor!" the class snickered.  
  
"No, Kyle has a point. To be the subject it doesn't have to be a person or animal, it can be a place or object. Floor is a perfectly acceptable answer," he paused. "Okay, so are you ready for the exception to the rule? It's you." He pointed at Ashley, one of the many freshman girls that made up the first three rows of his class. Richie smiled as she giggled and blushed at his actions. Whenever he was in front of his classes he couldn't help but feel like Harrison Ford when he was teaching in Indiana Jones. The promise of sodas and food brought boys into his class, while the cute teacher attracted the girls. "Don't worry it's not you specifically, its 'you' the word. If I saw someone and thought that they were the most hideous, vile, disgusting looking thing on Earth. . . how would I tell them?"  
  
"Carver, you ugly," a boy said to the boy sitting next to him. The class laughed appreciatively.  
  
"You forgot the verb," Richie corrected. "It would be Carver, you ARE ugly."  
  
"But Carver is a singular subject," a girl protested.  
  
"Yup," Richie nodded. "That's why English is so friggin' hard to learn. There's always at least one exception." He stopped and looked toward the door with an expectant look on his face, nobody was there.yet. "I are going out into the hall," he said opening the door. "What's wrong with that sentence and give me three ways to correct it. No killing, no mass destruction, and no wild orgies while I'm gone." He closed the door behind him.  
  
His classroom was at the end of the hall so he leaned on the wall casually looking straight ahead. After a few seconds two men rounded the corner and stopped, their eyes resting on Richie. He gave them a slight nod in greeting and kept his arms folded over his chest as the men strode toward him.  
  
"What, no hello?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Nope," Richie shook his head. "I'm mad at you. Hey, Adam, what's up?"  
  
"Wait what did I do?" Duncan asked.  
  
"You're doing that whole telling me what to do thing again."  
  
"You're still pouting over that?"  
  
"No, I just started. What would be the point if you weren't around to be annoyed by it?"  
  
Adam smiled, "Now I remember why I let you live. You amuse me by annoying MacLeod. . . do you really have a refrigerator in there?"  
  
"I amuse you?" Richie raised an eyebrow. "But, yeah, I do, have a fridge that is. . ." He turned around and peered into the room. "I should really get back in there. What do you guys want?"  
  
"You willingly in school? I've waited a hundred years to see this," Duncan replied.  
  
"So, is that your way of telling me you're sticking around?" Richie asked. Duncan nodded and Adam grinned. "There's no way I'm going to talk you out of this, is there?" Duncan shook his head. Richie sighed, "Fine, fine. I was loosing their attention anyway." He opened the door and started yelling over the class. "Hey! Yo! Shut up or I'm bringing out the CDs!" The class quieted. "They hate my music," Richie explained to Duncan.  
  
"So do I," Duncan mumbled under his breath.  
  
"There's no beer in here," Adam announced from behind the refrigerator door.  
  
"No duh," Richie replied. He took a pen off his desk and threw it, grinning at the satisfying clunk it made when it hit Adam. "Get out of there." The boys laughed, but the girls were too busy staring at Duncan to notice Richie's antics. "Turn around or something, I think they want a better look at you." Richie looked at the clock when the bell rang announcing the end of class. "Go away, I don't want to see or hear from any of you until Monday. And if I do, there'll be a test!" He called at the retreating teenagers.  
  
"You in school. . . a teacher no less, I still can't get over it," Duncan smiled shaking his head. "Expecially after all the complaining you did during college."  
  
"It's not so bad when you get to make up the tests instead of taking them," Richie shrugged. "Now what are you doing?" He asked looking at Adam who was wondering around the room peering behind everything.  
  
"Where's your sword?"  
  
"Home," he turned his attention back to Duncan. "So I take it you couldn't get Jaesin within twenty miles of this place on her day off?" he asked loading un-graded papers into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.  
  
"She's not feeling well, so we dropped her off at the cabin before we came."  
  
Richie made a face, it had been a couple decades since he had been sick, but what he remembered of it wasn't pleasant. "What's wrong?" he asked not able to keep the concern out of his voice. Jaesin was his little sister, in all ways that counted and as far as the public was concerned.  
  
"I'm not sure. Her stomach's been bothering her for a couple days. I think maybe she ate something."  
  
"Or. . ." Richie prompted with a smile. Duncan furrowed his brow in confusion.  
  
"He's got a good point, MacLeod. How old is Jaesin?" Adam asked returning to the refrigerator for a soda.  
  
"She's twelve," Duncan answered, still not quite sure what Richie and Adam were talking about.  
  
"And a girl," Richie added. "I think Amanda might want to have a talk with her tonight."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Richie pulled his vintage Land Shark beside Duncan's SUV. He had been expecting Amanda to already be there, since he had gone home after school to pick up a few things but she wasn't. He only felt one other immortal there, and since Duncan's car was the one there he figured Adam had gone to pick her up from the airport.  
  
Hans leapt out of the convertible as soon as it pulled to a stop and Fritz scrambled to follow, undoubtedly to find Jaesin, as far as the dogs could tell a trip to the island meant Jaesin. . . and endless pampering.  
  
"Hey!" Richie called. "Get back here!" He jogged after them leaving his bag in the car. Fritz immediately turned back around and bounded towards Richie jumping around his legs. He picked up the small dog and tucked it under his arm like a football. "Hans! Hey, ya dumb mutt stop whatever it is you're doing, because I'm the one that's going to get yelled at!"  
  
"Hey, Richie," Duncan greeted opening the door to let Hans in. "I'd stay away from Jae, she's a little moody right now."  
  
"Richie!" a young girl's voice squealed. "Get your dumb dog off me!"  
  
"I'm telling you, Mac, she's cranky and her stomach hurts. . . our little girl is turning into a woman." Richie chuckled.  
  
Jaesin was curled up on the couch in the den pushing Hans' nose out from between her legs.  
  
"Hey, Jaes, nice to see you, too. What's with the 'tude?" Richie smiled pulling on Hans' collar. Jaesin glared up at him. "Somebody's embarrassed," he teased her tickling her ribs.  
  
Duncan laughed and watched from the doorway as Richie picked on Jaesin who refused to even say hello. After getting rejected for the fifth time Richie left Jaesin to her sulking (conveniently forgetting to take Hans with him) and joined Duncan on the porch.  
  
"So what's the big deal?" Richie asked throwing a stick for Fritz to chase after.  
  
"I'll tell you later."  
  
"Later? Mac, come on. You've been holding this over my head for a week!"  
  
"So what's another couple of hours?"  
  
"Pure torture, that's what."  
  
Duncan smiled, "Speaking of pure torture. . . Enemin? What were you thinking?"  
  
Richie shrugged. "She asked nicely, said please and everything."  
  
"So you just bought them?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Every album, and sent them to a twelve year old?"  
  
"That's what spoiling is, she wants something, I buy it for her. You know, I could've bought her the movie, too."  
  
"And if you do, I'll kill you." Duncan pulled Richie into a headlock. "She's my daughter, not yours, you hear me?"  
  
"Yeah, I hear ya. But if you think she's annoying now, wait until she finds out you killed me." Fritz began yipping around their ankles. "Sic 'em, Fritz!" Richie encouraged the small dog. "Get him!" He choked out as Duncan tightened his grip on his neck. 


	3. Chapter Three

When Adam and Amanda returned from the airport Duncan and Richie were talking about anything that came to mind and still on the porch.  
  
"So, MacLeod, what's the big news?" Adam asked as soon as he reached the porch, skipping any sort of greeting.  
  
"I was talking with Andrew Breaker. . ." Duncan started.  
  
"Who?" Amanda asked, giving Duncan and Richie each a quick hug in greeting.  
  
"He's a watcher."  
  
"You know, I haven't seen many of those guys around much anymore," Richie commented wincing at his own bad grammar. He didn't know why but whenever he was around Adam, Amanda, and Duncan he always seemed to revert back to being the teenager who hung around because he had nothing better to do.  
  
"I bet you haven't seen many immortals either," Duncan said pointedly.  
  
"Well. . . no, not really."  
  
"That's because there are less than two hundred left."  
  
Amanda raised her eyebrows, "Less than?"  
  
"This is the end," Duncan said grimly. "It could all be over in a couple of months."  
  
"Or it could be a couple years," Richie ventured.  
  
"Yeah, Duncan, who knows what's really going to happen," Amanda said looking at Adam for support.  
  
"It could be years," Adam conceded. "Or it could be a couple days, like you said nobody knows."  
  
"So what happens now. . . 'It's been nice knowin' ya, but stay the hell away from me I don't want to kill you'?" Richie asked.  
  
"Who said anyone of us is killing the others?" Duncan looked at Richie's uncharacteristically serious face.  
  
"That's what this is all about, isn't it? 'In the end there can be only one'. Chances are it won't be me, but you guys have a pretty good shot; especially Adam if experience has anything to do with it."  
  
"It's not going to be me, kid," Adam said with unsettling certainty.  
  
Duncan crossed his arms, "How do you- - -"  
  
"Jaemi!" Amanda interrupted him. Duncan turned around to find Jaesin standing in the doorway behind him.  
  
"Hi, Aunt Amanda," she greeted.  
  
"Her name is Jaesin," Adam whispered in Amanda's ear. "How did you get Jaemi out of Jaesin?"  
  
"Jaesin is a boy's name," Amanda said putting her arms for a hug. "And this angelic creature is not a boy." She held Jaesin out at arms length and looked at her from head to toe, taking in everything from her straight blonde hair and green eyes to her bare feet and small scar on her left foot. "She's practically a woman. Besides she looks more like a Jaemi and it fits. Plus Richie and Jaemi sounds better."  
  
Adam rolled his eyes, "There's no arguing with a woman's logic."  
  
"Are you feeling better, Jae?" Duncan asked.  
  
"No two people call that girl the same thing," Adam grumbled. "She's going to develop some sort of complex over it."  
  
"Yeah," Jaesin answered Duncan. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Richie said jabbing at her playfully, figuring the conversation would resume once Jaesin was fed and in bed. "What do we have as far as food goes around here?"  
  
"Jack squat," Jaesin answered putting her fists up and inviting Richie into a boxing match. "Unless you count Hans and Fritz." She took a swing at Richie, which he easily dodged.  
  
"Mmmm, Mmmm, good. . . dog kabobs it is." His fist hit her lightly in the jaw. "Keep your left hand up to protect you face."  
  
"Richie. . ." Duncan warned. His paternal instincts didn't like watching Richie hit Jaesin, especially since she was so much smaller than he was.  
  
"Mac, I barely touched her."  
  
"Yeah, Dad, he barely touched me." Jaesin turned to face Duncan letting her guard down. Richie took the opprotunity to grab her and draped her slender form around his shoulders. She giggled and fought his grip, only to find herself dangling upside down by her knees from his arms.  
  
"Uh-oh, what are you going to do now, huh?" Richie teased her carrying her off the porch and into the yard.  
  
"A whole lot of little kids missed out not having him as a big brother," Amanda commented watching the wrestling match that had broken out in the yard.  
  
"He does have a certain touch with her," Duncan agreed.  
  
"He has to," Adam said softly.  
  
"Is this really the end of the Gathering?" Amanda asked having not heard Adam's comment.  
  
"Less than two hundred, Amanda. And the number's getting smaller all the time. . . if this isn't the end I don't know what it is."  
  
"A second chance," Adam responded with a far off look in his eyes.  
  
"A what?"  
  
Adam shook his head, "Nothing."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Hans pulled the blankets off the bed. Richie opened his eyes and tried to figure out what had woken him. Realizing he was cold he sat up and pulled the covers back on top of himself. Hans began whining and licked Richie's hand that was dangling over the side of the bed.  
  
"Fine, fine, fine." Richie got out of bed and followed Hans out into the hall. "Hey!" he hissed as loud as he dared as the dog began pawing at Jaesin's door. "Stop that!" He pulled on the dog's collar and led him down the stairs and opened the backdoor, Hans whining all the way. "What is your deal?" Richie grumbled shoving the dog out the door. "Ugh!" He groaned as Hans immediately turned and ran back up the stairs. He followed the dog and fought the urge to kick it when he found it pawing at Jaesin's door again. Instead he gave Hans a light whack on the rear.  
  
"Get in there!" He hissed pointing to his room. Hans raised his paw to the door, "Ah, ah, ah! Get!" Hans gave Jaesin's room one last look before going into Richie's room, head hanging and tail tucked between his legs. "Stupid dog," Richie grumbled opening the door and sticking his head in Jaesin's room. "Sorry, Jaes," he whispered. He noticed she had kicked off her covers and went in to cover her up. On his way back out he kicked something small and hard on the floor. "Umph!" he screamed stuffing his fist in his mouth.  
  
"Some other time," Jaesin murmured.  
  
"Huh?" Richie turned around and faced her.  
  
"Let's go. . .It's okay, it's alright. . . I don't have a purse, only the rings, I swear."  
  
Richie stared at Jaesin. He recognized every word coming out of her mouth. They were words that had haunted his dreams for years.  
  
"Tessa," she whispered. The name sent shivers down Richie's spine. "No!" Jaesin screamed sitting up. Richie stood paralyzed in the dark not moving until Duncan shoved him out of his way to his daughter.  
  
"Jae, what's wrong?" he asked softly taking her trembling body into his arms.  
  
"He shot her!" she sobbed. "He shot that lady! She didn't do anything, he just shot her!"  
  
"What lady?" Duncan asked as he began rocking her.  
  
"The blonde lady," she said as if it explained everything.  
  
"You told her," Richie said softly. "When did you tell her?" He didn't bother trying to keep the anger out of his voice.  
  
"What's going on?" Amanda asked from the doorway.  
  
"I thought you didn't want her to know!" Richie continued ignoring Amanda. "You said you weren't going to tell her!"  
  
"Tell her what?" Duncan asked still rocking Jaesin.  
  
"About Tessa!"  
  
"Yeah, that's her, the blonde lady," Jaesin said looking up at Richie. "That guy shot her. How'd you know?"  
  
Duncan looked down at Jaesin then up at Richie. "I didn't tell her, Rich."  
  
"Then how does she know?" he demanded.  
  
"Richie," Amanda said softly. "Go downstairs. Duncan will be down in a minute," she assured him when he didn't move. "Let him take care of Jaemi first."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Adam looked out the window at Richie staring up at the stars. Jaesin's scream had woken him, but when he heard Richie's yelling he knew it was time. Adam set his shoulders. He was the only one who could explain everything to Richie, and now was the time. Richie needed to know. He had held out on him long enough. Adam had known this day would come for twelve years, and for twelve years he had prepared himself for it. He got dressed and went outside.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"I heard all the commotion," Adam said as Richie turned around to face him. "I bet you're a little confused."  
  
"A little?" Richie scoffed. "If Mac didn't tell her, and I didn't tell her, who did?"  
  
"Maybe you did, and you just don't know how."  
  
"I don't talk to Mac about Tessa, why would I talk to Jaes about her?" Richie felt awkward confiding in Adam; they had never been that close. But for some reason he wanted to tell him everything. "I didn't know what to do in there, I panicked, froze. It was weird, I knew she was freaked out, but, like, I couldn't help. I wanted to see what would happen next, ya know?" he rambled once again letting his vocabulary slip into teenage mode. "I was just standin' there, listening. I knew what she was gonna say, but it still surprised me when she said it. I knew what she was seeing, and I couldn't stop it."  
  
"She was seeing your memories, that's how she knows about Tessa."  
  
"Oh, really? And how does that work?"  
  
"It's not as complicated as you think it is. You'll understand soon."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Richie asked more curious than annoyed with Adams ambiguity.  
  
"Do you believe in fate?" Adam asked after a moment of silence.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Do you believe things happen for a reason?"  
  
"I never really thought about it, but I guess so. You kinda have to if you want to explain anything that's happened to me."  
  
"Like finding Duncan."  
  
Richie turned to Adam he had never heard him call Duncan by his first name before. "Yeah, among other things."  
  
"Like finding Jaesin."  
  
"I didn't find her, Mac did."  
  
"But you convinced him to keep her, why?"  
  
"I don't know," Richie smirked in the moonlight. "I couldn't let him take her to the police. She was just a baby, so small and fragile. There was something about her. I loved her the second I saw him walk through the door with her in his arms." He stared up at the moon. "The only reason he kept her is because he didn't trust me to take care of her like I wanted to."  
  
"Why did you want to?" Adam prompted.  
  
Richie got a far off look in his eyes. "She was meant to be with me," he answered softly.  
  
Adam smiled; Richie was beginning to understand. Now was the time for immortals to have their second chance. "You're a good kid," Adam said putting his arm around Richie's shoulders. "You might not understand it all right away, but you will. You're a fast learner." He felt Richie's body relaxing. "You follow your heart, you'll server the word well." He cupped Richie's chin in his hand and twisted Richie's head forcing it farther than it naturally moved. Before Richie could fight, his neck was broken. "And now you have to begin." 


	4. Chapter Four

Richie groaned softly opening his eyes, squinting into the sunrise. "What happened?" he moaned groggily lifting his head. He moved to rub his face and discovered he was tied to a tree. His arms were stretched out to his sides wrapping barely a third around the trunk. Not immediately worried, because over the years he had become used to being kidnapped, he began looking around trying to figure out where he was and remember what had happened last.  
  
"Adam?" he called out looking for any sign of the other immortal as he felt one approaching. "Adam!" he began pulling at the ropes.  
  
"Relax, I'm right here," Adam came out from behind another tree holding Richie's saber.  
  
"What's going on?" Richie asked eyeing the blade.  
  
"This is the only way to do it, Richard," Adam said calmly.  
  
"Only way to do what?"  
  
Adam held up the blade catching the sunlight. "What has to be done, Richard."  
  
"Stop calling me that! What are you talking about?"  
  
"The end of the Gathering." He swung the blade through the air, careful to face away from Richie, testing the balance. "MacLeod gave you a fine weapon," he commented.  
  
"If you kill me. . ." Richie started not sure what the end of his threat would be.  
  
"Relax, Richard. I'm not going to kill you."  
  
"Then what's with the ropes? And I told you stop calling me that!"  
  
"If you run away, this won't work, Richard," Adam explained almost monotone taking a few steps toward Richie. Richie shrank back into the bark of the tree.  
  
"What won't work?"  
  
Adam stepped closer, until he was inches from Richie. "Can you tell me what you said about Jaesin earlier?"  
  
"Hey!" Richie pulled violently from the tree only to be jerked back by his restraints. "You leave her out of this! Whatever you have against me, fine, but don't touch her! You hear me?" He yelled in Adam's face.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt either one of you, Richard. Calm down. Now tell me, what did you say earlier?" Adam asked apparently not phased by Richie's sudden outburst.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Richie admitted.  
  
"We were talking about fate, how things happen for a reason. Do you remember what you said?"  
  
"Methos," Richie said using the ancient immortal's true name. "if you want to talk, then untie me, and we'll talk," he said fighting to remain calm.  
  
"How about I put your sword down?" Adam offered instead, placing the blade gently on the ground.  
  
"Methos, let me go," Richie snarled through clenched teeth.  
  
"I can't have you running to MacLeod, Richard, this is the way it has to be."  
  
"Running?" Richie repeated. 'If I can run to Mac, we're still on the island,' he thought.  
  
"Richard? What are you thinking?"  
  
"MAC!" Richie screamed as loud as he could. "MAC! HEL- - -" Adam clamped his hand over Richie's mouth stifling his cries.  
  
"We can't have that either. Now, if I let you go, are you going to be a good little boy and stay quiet, or do I have to use these?" He pulled several lengths of cloth out of his pocket. Richie glared at Adam, very annoyed that he had just been called a little boy, then at the gag in his hand and nodded somberly. "Good." Adam took his hand off his mouth.  
  
"What are you doing?" Richie asked slowly almost in a whisper.  
  
"I know you don't understand what's happening. . ."  
  
"So explain. . ." Richie started to yell, then stopped himself. He took a deep breath. "So explain it to me," he repeated quietly.  
  
"I can't explain it all. There is only one way I know of to help you understand, Richard. What I can tell you is you were supposed to be MY student. But I made a horrible mistake and fate had sense enough to pair you with MacLeod instead."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"The same thing that attracted you to MacLeod is what attracted you to Jaesin. Didn't you find it strange that MacLeod found her the same weekend you just happened to be visiting?" Adam asked. Richie set his jaw to keep from yelling again. He didn't like the way Adam was talking about Jaesin, but if he was going to figure any of this out he needed to be able to ask questions.  
  
"I never thought about it."  
  
"Had you ever had the impulse to raise children before her?"  
  
"No."  
  
"And yet you couldn't stand to let MacLeod turn her in to the authorities. You wanted to keep her for yourself. The same way MacLeod took you in 114 years ago. He had never felt he had the patience to be a mentor, but he couldn't risk letting you find another teacher."  
  
"I don't get it," Richie's voice broke as he fought for control, a battle he was quickly loosing.  
  
"I messed up over five thousand years ago. I ruined a perfectly good generation of immortals. I made a mistake and you're the one to fix it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Richie was becoming desperate to understand.  
  
"For years I marveled at what I had done. I took pleasure in the killing, the violence. Then I saw what destruction I had caused. And sense that day I have regretted what I had done."  
  
"You're not making any sense!"  
  
"You will understand," Adam began separating the pieces of cloth in his hands.  
  
"Methos, no," Richie begged, realizing he had yelled. . . his anger had caused him to forget Adam's threat for a moment.  
  
"I'm sorry," Adam said simply.  
  
"No, please. I don't understand," Richie continued.  
  
"I promise you will," Adam said forcing Richie's jaw open with one hand and stuffing a piece of cloth in it with the other. Before Richie could spit it out he tied it in place with another. Richie tried to pull away, but all he succeeded in doing was jamming the gag further back in his mouth. "You will understand," Adam repeated. "This is the way it has to be, I've know for years. I leave the world in capable hands. . . You won't want to see this." He took the final length of cloth and covered Richie's eyes with it. "I'm sorry for what I have done. And I only prey that everyone I've hurt can forgive me. Good-bye, Richard." He began to walk away. Richie tried to call after him, but all that came out was an unintelligible moan. 


	5. Chapter Five

Richie wasn't aware of Adam's plans until the first wave of the quickening washed over him. The first bolt hit him and he jumped in surprise. He wasn't sure what was happening, or how exactly it was he was receiving a quickening. He hadn't fought anybody. . . Adam's voice echoed in his head, a sadistic laugh that sent shivers down his spine rose and fell mechanically, women's voices screamed at him in languages he had never heard before but he still knew the meanings 'Please! Stop! No! Don't kill me!' The ground beneath his feet began to shake as the quickening reached its climax.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Jaesin hadn't been able to fall asleep again after her nightmare. She laid on her bed playing one of the new Emenim chips Richie had slipped her earlier in her headphones and petting Fritz and Hans. She sat up as the cabin began to rumble. She took off her headphones and looked around. A picture danced its way off her shelves and onto the floor. She could feel her bed begin to move with her still on it. She jumped up and ran into the hall.  
  
"Dad! What's going on?"  
  
"Jae get down here!"  
  
Duncan and Amanda had been quietly discussing the morning's events when the cabin began to shake. Duncan was at the foot of the stairs about to yell at Jaesin when she had called down to him.  
  
"What's happening?" she asked thundering down the stairs with the dogs at her heels.  
  
"Amanda, keep her here," Duncan ordered. He opened the door and shielded his eyes from the bright flashing lights coming from the woods. "If anything goes wrong, leave," he added.  
  
"Aunt Amanda?" Jaesin asked in a shaky voice.  
  
"Jaemi, everything's fine. Stay here." Amanda followed Duncan out the door.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Richie tried to scream, but if he actually made any noise he couldn't hear it. Never had he so desperately wanted to hide from something. He willed the power running through his body to find someone else, anyone else, or just to be lost into the universe. . . anywhere but in him. He tried to close his eyes to the memories flashing in front of his mind. He had heard a few stories about Adam's time as Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but he had mostly avoided the topic. Seeing the raids first hand turned his stomach. He could feel the bile creeping up his throat. His mind raced for a way to escape from the torture he was experiencing, but he couldn't put together a coherent thought of his own. It seemed everytime he heard his own voice put two words together it was interrupted by someone he had never heard before. As suddenly as the power had begun to rip through his body, it stopped.  
  
. . . . . .  
  
"Adam!" Duncan screamed as he ran towards the quickening. "Richie!" He stopped running when he spotted a pair of legs sticking out from behind a tree. Duncan raced toward them and found Adam's headless body.  
  
"Duncan!" Amanda called jogging after him. She froze when she saw the legs. "Who is it?" she whispered.  
  
"It's Adam," Duncan answered quietly.  
  
Amanda's hand flew to her mouth. "No! Who did it?"  
  
"I don't know." Duncan picked up Richie's blood stained saber off the ground.  
  
"Dad! What's going on?" Richie lifted his head at the sound of Jaesin's voice. 'No,' he begged. 'don't let her see me like this. Please, don't let her see Methos. Please!'  
  
"Amanda, get her out of here!" Duncan barked. "Richie!" he called.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
"Jaesin, go! Richie!"  
  
Richie tried to respond, but any sound he succeeded in making was lost in the wad of cloth in his mouth. 'Why, Methos?' his mind screamed. 'Why did you do this?'  
  
"Richie!" Duncan ran to him and pulled off the blindfold.  
  
"Mac!" Richie rasped as soon as the gag was removed. "Mac, I tried to stop him!"  
  
"Who did this?" Duncan demanded angrily.  
  
"You have to believe me, I tried, there was nothing I could do!" Richie was in near hysterics. "Oh, God I tried, he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't explain! He just kept rambling. I tried to stop him, you have to believe me!"  
  
Duncan took Richie's face in his hands, forcing their eyes to lock. "Richie, tell me who did this."  
  
"He did," Richie whimpered. "Methos. I tried to stop him, Mac. Tell me you believe me." His voice was shaking as he spoke.  
  
"I know you did," Duncan said simply. "You wouldn't have given up without a fight," he added softly cutting the ropes with his sword.  
  
"I don't understand," Richie said rubbing his raw wrists. "He said I would, but I don't."  
  
"He must have had his reasons. We have to trust what he did."  
  
"Mac. . ." Richie started trying to figure out what he was feeling.  
  
"Let's go back to the cabin." Duncan turned and began to walk away.  
  
"What about the body?" Richie called after him.  
  
"We'll deal with it later."  
  
Duncan and Richie slowly walked back to the cabin.  
  
"Mac, Jaes didn't see anything, did she?" Richie asked softly as they walked up the steps to the porch.  
  
"No, I don't think she did."  
  
Richie stopped abruptly halfway across the porch. "Something's wrong," he said as his eyes glazed over.  
  
"What?" Duncan stopped and stared at him.  
  
"Something's wrong."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Richie's eyes snapped into focus. "I don't know! Something's wrong!" He rubbed he chest and started panting.  
  
"Richie?"  
  
"Mac!" he dropped to his knees.  
  
"Duncan!" Amanda threw open the front door. Duncan looked up form where he was crouching in front of Richie. Amanda had blood smeared all over her shirt. "I don't know what happened. One minute I'm explaining to her about Adam and the next. . ." her voice trailed off.  
  
"And next what?" Richie wheezed.  
  
"Next she's doing what you're doing. Only she' covered in blood."  
  
"Get the car!" Duncan ordered jumping to his feet.  
  
"Mac, no!" Richie followed him into the house.  
  
"We have to get her to the hospital!"  
  
"No, they can't help her!"  
  
"Richie, don't argue with me!"  
  
"I'll get the car." Amanda took the spare keys off the table by the door.  
  
"Jaesin!" Duncan called running up the stairs with Richie at his heels. Jaesin met them at the top of the stairs; her previously pink shirt was a dull red. Her eyes were wide in panic and her hands dripped with blood.  
  
"Richie!" she exclaimed throwing herself into his arms.  
  
"Shh, it's okay," he assured her looking up at Duncan. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, it hurt so bad!" she sobbed into his shirt.  
  
"What hurt?" Duncan asked. "Can you show me?" He turned her around to face him. Her eyes glazed over and she didn't respond. "Jae! Show me, where does it hurt?"  
  
"It doesn't hurt anymore," she said softly, not blinking.  
  
"Hey, Jaes, I'm going to take your shirt off, okay?" Richie told her as he began pulling it over her head. "I just want to look." He balled up the shirt and wiped away the blood that remained on her skin. There were no injuries to be seen. "Is this where it hurt?" he asked putting his hand on her chest. She nodded, still staring into space. "Here, too?" he moved his hand to her stomach. She nodded again. "Mac," Richie said softly looking over his shoulder. "she's immortal." 


	6. Chapter Six

AN: Sorry it took so long to update, it was a mixture of new plots jumping into my head and the little monkey that lives in my computer starting a fight with Fido the wonder pup on FF.net so that I couldn't get the site to work. But everything is okay now! I think my monkey has a broken arm though, agh well it's his own fault.  
  
Duncan looked at Richie. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Mac. . ." was all Richie could say.  
  
"Duncan! Are you coming?" Amanda called up the stairs.  
  
"Richie, what did you say?"  
  
"Duncan!" Amanda called again.  
  
"Mac, I don't know," Richie admitted quietly.  
  
"Duncan!"  
  
"No! We're not going!" Duncan called down the stairs. "Jae's fine!" he added looking at the half-naked girl who was still staring into space. "Can you come help her get cleaned up?"  
  
Amanda went out and turned off the car, then went upstairs. She found Duncan standing over Richie, who was crouched in front of a bare chested Jaesin.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked.  
  
Duncan looked at her. "Everything's fine," he said slowly unsure of the words coming out of his mouth. "We just had a little scare is all. Jae, go with Amanda, she'll get you cleaned up." He took the girl by the shoulders and gently guided her around Richie before handing her over to Amanda. Then to Richie he said: "Let's see if we can make any sense out of this."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Duncan and Richie stared at across the room at each other. Duncan started to say something, but Richie interrupted him.  
  
"I don't know," he said simply.  
  
"You don't know what?"  
  
"Anything. . . Mac, I've never been so confused before."  
  
"You don't know why you think Jae is immortal?"  
  
Richie furrowed his brow. "When did I say that?"  
  
"Just a couple minutes ago. . . upstairs," Duncan answered.  
  
"I don't remember saying that," Richie said shaking his head.  
  
"What do you mean you don't remember?"  
  
"I mean I don't remember! Man! This happened with Methos, too! Why don't I remember?"  
  
"Richie, calm down. We just have to start at the beginning."  
  
Slowly Richie nodded. "Okay."  
  
"What did he say to you?"  
  
"I don't know. He wasn't making much sense. He said I don't understand now, but I will. . . " Richie thought hard trying to recall any of Adam's words. "Something about. . . he made a mistake and I can fix it."  
  
"What mistake did he make?" Duncan asked trying not to disrupt Richie's thinking.  
  
"I don't know, I don't think he said."  
  
"Okay, so what abou- - - "  
  
"Killing," Richie said abruptly. "He started the killing."  
  
"What else?"  
  
Richie rubbed his face. "He asked about Jaes, how you found her. . . he said I had a lot to do with it."  
  
Duncan nodded. "As I remember you were pretty insistent."  
  
"What does that have to do with now?" Richie was becoming more and more angry each minute that he didn't understand. "Mac, I can't remember. How am I supposed to understand if I can't remember?" he exclaimed.  
  
Duncan stared at Richie for a second before speaking. "Since when do you speak Gaelic?" he asked.  
  
"I don't," Richie answered.  
  
"You just did," Duncan contradicted.  
  
"No I didn't. I said. . . I said. . . I don't remember what I said, but I'm pretty sure it was in English."  
  
Duncan shook his head. "You said 'How am I supposed to understand if I can't remember?' But you said it in Gaelic."  
  
"Mac, I don't speak Gaelic!" Richie shouted.  
  
"You just did it again!"  
  
"UGH!" Richie stood up and began pacing and mumbling; a strange mixture of languages, some which hadn't been uttered in millinia, flowed from his mouth. "I have to go," he said abruptly in Mandarin.  
  
"Richie. . ." Duncan started.  
  
"I have to go," Richie repeated, this time in English. "I'll be back later."  
  
"Richie. . ."  
  
"No, I have to think. Distractions are bad right now. I can't think with people watching me."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Amanda was combing through Jaesin's hair after washing a dressing her before the girl spoke.  
  
"Richie's mad," she said softly.  
  
"Yes, he is," Amanda agreed.  
  
"It's Adam's fault," Jaesin told her somberly.  
  
"It's nobody's fault. It's a misunderstanding," Amanda corrected. "Adam had his reasons."  
  
"Wakarimasin," Jaesin mumbled.  
  
Amanda turned her around. "What did you say?"  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"That's not what you said."  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
. . . . . .  
  
Duncan and Amanda sat on either side of Jaesin asking her questions in every language they knew. Duncan asked her something in Japanese and she stared at him blankly, then a couple minutes later Amanda asked her something in Russian and she answered in Japanese. Every now and then she would ramble off something in an unidentifiable language then repeat it in English when asked what she had said. Soon she was carrying on a complete conversation in ancient Egyptian with random bursts of French, Gaelic, Spanish and Italian.  
  
"This is strange," Duncan said in German, unable to keep his languages straight any longer. "Richie was doing this, too. I think Adam's quickening did something to them."  
  
"Them?" Amanda questioned.  
  
"Richie said Adam kept asking about Jaesin. He said she was immortal."  
  
"Adam said that?"  
  
"No, Richie did."  
  
Amanda stared critically at Jaesin who didn't seem to be understanding the conversation. "I never noticed anything." 


End file.
